This template will help you write your Communications Plan and will accompany the
PCAG/GCA Campaign Submission Cover Sheet.
COMMUNICATIONS PLAN
Product and
Eg. (Project name) (financial year) and (name of campaign)
Campaign Name
Introduction
Brief overview – Define the scope of the project. Why is the project necessary? Include brief overview
of context?
South Australian Strategic Plan/Seven Strategic Priorities objectives
Which of the South Australia Strategic Plan/Seven Strategic Priorities does your strategy contribute to
achieving?
This communication strategy supports the following targets in South Australia’s Strategic
Plan:
This communication strategy supports the achievements of the following South Australia’s
Strategic Priorities:
Corporate Plan Objectives
What Departmental objectives does your communications strategy support? Where does it sit in terms
of Departmental priority?
Background/Situational Analysis
Detail relevant background information and describe any current activity that supports/underpins this
strategy.
SWOT Analysis
List any Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats.
Competitor Analysis
Include information on competing organisations/activities.
Market Research
Detail any research that may have been undertaken or is available that has informed the
strategy, and may include:
1. Primary Research - both qualitative and quantitative in nature (eg focus groups,
omnibus surveys)
2. Secondary Research – existing data and published research by external
organisations (eg Roy Morgan, ABS)
3. Pre campaign research - detail learnings from the research that may have been
applied to the strategy.
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Project Management
Who is responsible for this campaign? What contractors will be used (ie Master Media Agency,
Creative Agency etc).
Objectives for the Communication Plan
What are the specific objectives of this plan… primary, secondary?
Objectives must be:

Concise, measurable, include targets and benchmarks

Single minded, specific and relevant to the campaign messaging

Achievable – please provide context if the objectives stated are stretch targets or may have
environmental factors potentially affecting it’s success.
Objectives should be expressed as both percentages and numbers with a goal date. Please include
benchmarks where possible.
Eg. Increase calls to the phone line by 10% (375 calls) by June (year) compared to 200 calls
benchmark based on the previous year.
This could also be represented in a table.
Campaign Objectives
Benchmarks
Campaign KPI’s
Example
Example
Example
Benchmark calls are 200 from
Increase calls by 10% or 175
previous year
compared to previous year
Objective 1
Increase calls to the phone line
Target Audience
Outline your target audience groups, not just generically but by demographics, psychographics,
geographic locations, specific interests, etc. Be as specific as possible.
Primary
Secondary?
Key Stakeholders?
Equity and Access - Have you considered accessibility of the target audience to your messaging?
What we are currently doing to reach achieve Communication objectives
Outline any current activities that contribute to your communications objectives, including dot points of
specific tools ie:

Public Relations

Social media, digital platforms

Direct Marketing

Community engagement

Education Resource Kit

School Holiday Education Program
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
Presentations to various interest groups

Visitor Information Centre

Other existing programs
Barriers/Critical Success Factors
Include any factors that are critical to the successful achievement of the plan (likely to be beyond the
scope of control of this plan) and any barriers to operational activity that may also be encountered.
Key Messages
Outline the key messages and if necessary alignment with appropriate target audience group.
Communication Strategies and Tactics
Outline the communications strategy/ies that will be used to achieve your objectives (briefly touching
on tactics for each). What tools are you going to use and to whom will these activities target?
1. (Corporate Strategy) - Overarching strategy to position xxx and provide the corporate
framework for the xxx level activity…..
2. (Tactical) – ground level tactical activity which fits into the strategic direction of above…..
This may include activities under the following:

Advertising

Sponsorship

Direct Marketing

Printed collateral

Internet

Social media platforms

Events

Media/Public Relations

Promotional items

Internal communication

Events

Community engagement
Have you considered a proactive risk management strategy as part of your communications plan?
Creative Strategy
Provide an outline of the relevance of the proposed creative idea to the audience and objectives of the
campaign. Have previous campaigns influenced this creative direction?
If the creative direction requires music, has South Australian music been included?
Yes/No
No? Please provide justification
Creative concepts to be included as a separate attachment
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Media Strategy
Provide an outline of the relevance of the proposed media strategy/activity to the audience and
objectives of this campaign.
Media plan to be included as a separate attachment. Please ensure digital media plan is
included where appropriate.
Budget
Itemised breakdown of the TOTAL budget including all activity.
Activity
Proposed Budget
$ inc GST
Research
Strategy
Media:
Contra
Cash
Creative/Production
Events
Evaluation
Agency Fees
Other
TOTAL
$
Timing of campaign and Action Plan
What is the timing of the campaign?
Outline the timeline of actions required to implement the activities outlined; where appropriate include
responsibilities and cross-reference each tactic with target audience/s and key message/s. Include
PCAG, GCA and Ministerial approvals.
Evaluation
How and when the plan will be evaluated? Include benchmarks, measurement/monitoring
mechanisms, and timing of evaluation. Evaluation mechanisms should be consistent with the stated
marketing objectives.
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This could be represented in a table
Campaign Objectives
Measurement of Objectives
Evaluation Timing
Example
Example
Example
Objective 1
Phone calls will be measured by
Phone calls will be monitored
Increase phone calls by 10%
contact management system
throughout campaign and
(175) as compared to last years
within Department
reported upon completion of
Objectives as stated above
phone calls of 200
campaign
Evaluation Date
Please provide information on the date you will be submitting the evaluation report to PCAG/GCA.
This date must be after campaign completion.
Recommendation
Provide a detailed list of recommendations.
Example
It is recommended that PCAG/GCA:

Approve the submission

Delegate final approval to GCA for media and creative

Any other recommendations
CONTACT DETAILS
Campaign manager
Job title
Phone number
Email
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